1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to pneumatic projectile launchers such as paintball markers. More specifically, the present invention relates to a new bolt configuration for use in a pneumatic projectile launcher that enhances the launching of projectiles, such as paintballs, therefrom.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the prior art, pneumatic projectile launchers, i.e. guns that employ compressed gas to launch a projectile, such as is the case in paintball markers, are relatively well known. In general, these devices include a supply of compressed gas that fills a chamber, which, upon pulling of a trigger, is then emptied into the paintball marker barrel to launch a projectile, namely, a paintball. Within the paintball marker, valving is typically provided that operates in response to the trigger in order to selectively control the flow of gas therein. As can be seen In FIG. 1a, paintball markers typically employ a bolt system 10 that controls the loading and launching of one projectile 12a at a time by removing them from a projectile storage compartment 14. For example, hoppers and autoloaders are commonly used in connection with paintball markers to store a large number of projectiles, such as paintballs. Such hoppers and autoloaders also include a feed system that operates by gravity or other known arrangements in a manner that feeds the projectiles in rapid succession into the breech 16 of the marker in preparation for loading and launching as described above.
As is well known in the art, paintballs are formed to include an outer skin that is filled with a colored liquid. In operation, the outer skin is intended to burst and release the colored liquid upon impact with a desired target. In order to function properly, the outer skin of the paintball must be relatively delicate, giving rise to a concern related to the manner in which the paintballs are handled by the various operational parts of the paintball marker. Specifically, there is a desire that the paintballs not burst within the paintball marker during the launching process and before they impact the target.
Also, there is a desire in the paintball marker industry to build markers that have ever increasing firing rates. In this regard, the more rapidly and smoothly successive paintballs are fed into the marker breach, the shorter the cycle time of the marker is and the faster the firing rate of the marker. In other words, the faster the paintball is ready for launch, the faster the gas can be released to launch the paintball. This successive rapid firing of paintballs requires that each of the paintballs being loaded must be positioned very close to one another during the loading process. Turning back to FIGS. 1a and 1b, once a first paintball 12a drops into the breech 16 of the prior art marker, a bolt 10 is employed to move that paintball 12a forward into the barrel 18 to complete the loading process in preparation for launch using the compressed gas. The faster cycle times, which are employed for improved rapid launching, require the bolt 10 to reciprocate extremely fast between a rearward position where a projectile paintball 12a can be received into the breech 16 to a forward position where the projectile paintball 12a is forward in a position ready for launch.
Such high-speed reciprocation of the bolt 10 can in turn result in serious problems with the operation of the paintball marker. The problems arise principally due to the manner in which the paintballs 12a are fed to the marker. As the paintballs 12a are gravity fed to the breech 16, successive paintballs 12b, 12c are typically touching each other during the loading process. For example, it is well known that a second paintball 12b may be touching a first paintball 12a that has already dropped into the breech 16. This arrangement however creates a problem in that the second paintball 12b is partially in the breech 16 on top of the first paintball 12a, even though it is not the paintball that is intended for launch. As a result, it is a well-known problem that the top edge of a bolt 10 can clip the bottom portion of the second paintball 12b in the region depicted by the dotted line of FIG. 1b as the bolt 10 is moving forward to prepare the first paintball 12a for launch. Should the bolt 10 clip the second paintball 12b, pieces of the outer shell of the second paintball 12b may cause the marker to jam. Even worse, the clipped paintball 12b may actually burst within the breech 16. Further, even if the second paintball 12b is not nicked or broken, the impact of the bolt 10 may weaken the outer shell of the second paintball 12b. Once the shell of the second paintball 12b has been weakened, the forces exerted to fire the second paintball 12b once it is loaded may exploit the weakness causing it to rupture in the barrel 18 during firing. As can be understood, this is highly undesirable because it can render the marker inoperable.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for an improved paintball marker construction that is configured to avoid damage to a second incoming paintball during the bolt movement that prepares a first paintball for launch within the marker breech. There is also a need for an improved paintball marker bolt system that can maintain a seal within the breech while also avoiding damage to a second incoming paintball.